Understanding Self-Control and its Importance
Self control can be understood as the ability of an individual to regulate their own emotions and behavior when they are faced with impulses or temptations. Self control is a cognitive process necessary to regulate behavior in order to achieve certain objectives. According to studies, self control is a limited resource (like that of energy) wherein over usage of it can lead to depletion in the short term but on the long term can lead to strengthening and improvement of self control (Tangney et al., 2018; De Ridder & Lensvelt-Mulders, 2018).
The aim of the study is to analyze the different aspects of self control and how self control can be used in the modification of certain behaviors through environmental planning and stimulus control.
Method:
In the study, modification of behavior which is a problem to self control has been discussed. The problematic behavior is first identified and analyzed by comparing baseline with the program and strategies that can be used to modify the behavior. As a part of the study, behavioral modification strategies such as environmental planning and stimulus control, positive reinforcements and contingency contracts have been used to modify the problematic behavior (Duckworth & Gross, 2014).
Identification of the problematic behavior is done by identifying situations where I was able to exhibit self control and where I wasn’t able to exhibit self control and thus understand the problematic behaviors that I am facing challenge to self regulate (Baumeister et al., 2018).
Results:
From the analysis of situations where I was and wasn’t able to exhibit self control, it was understood that regulating my smoking behavior was a significant challenge for me. At times I was able to control my urge to smoke, especially when I was alone, however when I was with my friends, I failed to control the urge and ended up smoking with them. However, after the implementation of environmental planning and stimulus control through the usage of positive reinforcements and contingency contract, I was able to significantly reduce my smoking habits from about 1 pack every day to less than 1 a day (or about 4-5 cigarettes every week) (Carter et al., 2015).
Discussion:
Self control is the capability of an individual to overcome their impulses and temptation and manage or regulate their own behaviors or emotions to achieve a specific purpose or objective (MacLean et al., 2014).
do we all have self control?
Method: Modifying Behaviour with Environmental Planning and Stimulus Control
Everyone has self control, albeit at different levels. Few individuals have a stronger self control than others, which enables them to manage their behaviors and emotions in a better way than the others (Carter et al., 2015).
can you think of a situation where you exhibit self control?
Whenever I am alone, I am able to regulate and manage my urge to smoke, thus helping me to control my smoking habit (MacLean et al., 2014).
can you think of a situation where you don’t exhibit self control?
When I am with my friends or attending a social gathering where there are other people who are smoking as well, I am unable to resist the urge to smoke, and I end up smoking with them (Ent et al., 2015).
do we exhibit self control over all behavior all the time?
I think it is difficult to have self control over all behavior all the time. Since self control is an exhaustive emotion, it challenges the possibility of using it to control every problematic behavior of a person. Moreover, since using self control all the time can lead to emotional depletion and exhaustion which can result in the return of the problematic behavior (Daly et al., 2015).
Environmental Planning and Stimulus Control:
After the identification of the problematic behavior (smoking) I was able to implement environmental planning and stimulus control to resist the urge to smoke and change the problematic behavior permanently. Discussed below are the strategies that I utilized to overcome the problematic behavior (Gailliot & Baumeister, 2018).
Good reinforcements (positive reinforcements):
This is a form of operant conditioning in which positive reinforcements can be used to reinforce good behavior such as the ability to overcome the urge to smoke. Every time a good behavior is shown or self control is exhibited, it can be positively reinforced with a rewarding stimulus. Different types of positive stimuli can be used as positive reinforces, which can include anything that can provide a rewarding experience to the person, such as any enjoyable activity (like going for a movie) or good food.
Choosing a good reinforcement is vital to ensure effectiveness of the strategy and effective management of the problematic behavior. In order to identify a good reinforcement it is important to identify things one would like to have, the major interests, the hobbies, people one would like to be with, activities one would like to engage in for fun or to relax, and factors that can give a good feeling (Spanos et al., 2017).
Identifying Problematic Behaviour
contingency contract
A contingency contract is a documentation in which an individual can outline the problematic behavior that needs to be changed, along with how the behavior would be changed and the positive reinforcements that would be used whenever the problematic behavior has been controlled. The contingency contract helps to have a clear focus on the objective of the behavioral modification and the expected outcomes. Identifying the key triggers and cues that leads to an impulse towards the problematic behavior needs to be outlined in the contract. For example, mentioning that I would resist the urge to smoke when I am with friends or when I see my friends smoking,
helps to identify the trigger (watching someone else smoke) and the reaction to it (an impulse or an urge to smoke). Through this identification, it becomes easier to be mentally and psychologically prepared to use self control more effectively and understand when and how the positive reinforcements can be used to overcome the urge. For example, I also like chewing gums, and during that time I generally do not smoke. So having a chewing gum whenever I feel the urge to smoke can help to avoid or overcome such an urge, thus helping to maintain the good behavior and avoid the problematic behavior (Spanos et al., 2017).
-recording baseline
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies used to modify the problematic behavior, the baseline information needs to be collected and outlined. The baseline data is the behavior before the implementation of the strategies. In this context, the baseline data was the number of cigarettes I smoked in a day or week, how many cigarettes were smoked when alone vs.
when with friends, and the mental state just before smoking (like being anxious, happy, angry, upset or afraid). The baseline data can then be compared with the same data collected during and after the implementation of the strategy. Through this comparison it can be understood whether the strategy is working or not. For example, a reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked from the baseline data can help to understand if I was able to use self control to overcome the urge of smoking (Lang, 2017).
Conclusion:
Self control is the capacity of an individual to overcome their impulses and temptations and manage their own behavior, and is an essential cognitive component that allows regulation of one own behavior and emotions. Thus it is necessary that a correct strategy is used to modify problematic behavior and reinforce self control.
Results of Applying Environmental Planning and Stimulus Control to Modify Behaviour
To do that, it is firstly important to understand situation where an individual is or is not able to exercise self control, thus helping to understand the trigger that causes a failure to self control. For me this trigger was watching others smoke. Based on this understanding, I was able to use environmental planning and stimulus control in which I used positive reinforcement to support a good behavior (like averting the urge to smoke) and a contingency contract that helped me focus on the goal for behavioral modification. Comparing the final results with the baseline data helped me understand the effectiveness of the strategy.
References:
Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., & Muraven, M. (2018). Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource?. In Self-Regulation and Self-Control (pp. 24-52). Routledge.
Carter, E. C., Kofler, L. M., Forster, D. E., & McCullough, M. E. (2015). A series of meta-analytic tests of the depletion effect: self-control does not seem to rely on a limited resource. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 144(4), 796.
Daly, M., Delaney, L., Egan, M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2015). Childhood self-control and unemployment throughout the life span: Evidence from two British cohort studies. Psychological science, 26(6), 709-723.
De Ridder, D. T., & Lensvelt-Mulders, G. (2018). Taking stock of self-control: A meta-analysis of how trait self-control relates to a wide range of behaviors. In Self-Regulation and Self-Control (pp. 221-274). Routledge.
Duckworth, A., & Gross, J. J. (2014). Self-control and grit: Related but separable determinants of success. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(5), 319-325.
Ent, M. R., Baumeister, R. F., & Tice, D. M. (2015). Trait self-control and the avoidance of temptation. Personality and Individual Differences, 74, 12-15.
Gailliot, M. T., & Baumeister, R. F. (2018). The physiology of willpower: Linking blood glucose to self-control. In Self-Regulation and Self-Control (pp. 137-180). Routledge.
Lang, P. J. (2017). Stimulus control, response control, and the desensitization of fear. In Foundations of Behavioral Therapy (pp. 148-173). Routledge.
MacLean, E. L., Hare, B., Nunn, C. L., Addessi, E., Amici, F., Anderson, R. C., … & Boogert, N. J. (2014). The evolution of self-control. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(20), E2140-E2148.
Spanos, N. P., Barber, T. X., & Lang, G. (2017). 11 Cognition and Self-Control Cognitive Control of Painful Sensory Input. Thought and feeling: Cognitive alteration of feeling states.
Tangney, J. P., Boone, A. L., & Baumeister, R. F. (2018). High self-control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. In Self-Regulation and Self-Control (pp. 181-220). Routledge.
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